SEARCY, Ark. — “What would you do today if you weren’t scared?”
That’s a question Coty Skinner, owner of ARGanic Woodwork in Searcy, often asks himself. It’s a mindset that’s fueled his success.
“Right now, we're doing a lot of river tables,” Skinner said. “A staple of ours is our barndoors, our farm tables. We've done furniture for restaurants. It's ever evolving.”
To Skinner, tables are much more than just four legs and a wooden top. They’re part of his purpose.
Skinner built his first table just a few years ago as he and his wife welcomed foster children into their home.
“When we were opening up to foster we had a round table that sat four people,” he said. “I thought ‘well if we're going to have a lot of kids in we've got to have a bigger table.’”
So he built one in his garage, and he soon started building tables for other foster families who needed more space to gather.
“You have kids that are coming from really chaotic situations and you want to give them some type of structure and stability,” Skinner said. “Mealtime was that tine when we could all meet.”
A career in woodwork was never part of Skinner’s plan. He joined the Army after high school. Ten years into his service, an injury in Afghanistan forced him into medical retirement.
“I kind of came back with not really having a goal,” he said. “I felt like my goals were already kind of shattered, so I was drifting really. I went to school for vo-tech. I did HVAC for a few years, and then it was just finding purpose.”
After several years of searching, Skinner says his purpose has been found.
As the company grows, Skinner intends to hire veterans and kids aging out of the foster care system.
“Live with purpose. Do things with purpose, and not just for yourself,” he said.
In addition to custom furniture, Skinner also crafts cutting boards, bowls and other items. Click here to visit his website.
ARGanic Woodwork was featured on season four of “Small Business Revolution.” The show, available for streaming on Hulu, provided six Searcy businesses with make overs.
